California Code, Financial Code - FIN § 710

The holder or transferor of a negotiable instrument transferred to a licensee for collection has a preferred claim in the amount of the liability of the licensee on the instrument if the instrument was forwarded to the licensee by any person or by any other financial institution for collection and remittance, if payment therefor has not been made and if the same has been collected either in whole or in part by the licensee, unless the holder or transferor is a voluntary depositor in the licensee and the proceeds of the collection, at his or her request, have been credited by the licensee to his or her account.